A Second Chance
by Eiriasu
Summary: After transferring to Hakuou Academy, Chizuru couldn't help but feel that some of these new faces seemed oddly familiar and nostalgic... Like she had met them before, once upon a time. Based on the concept of 'if we're bound by fate, we will meet again in another life', and inspired by Hakuouki SSL. Rating K plus because it might head in that direction.
1. Rise and shine

**Author's notes:**

Hakuouki SSL has the premise that Chizuru is the only girl in Hakuou Academy as it recently went from being a boys' school to a co-ed school. The female characters in SSL (Sen for example) belong to another school, but are friends of Chizuru. While I find that premise amusing and would support the game if they localize it, I thought it was quite unrealistic… So in this story, the school is co-ed and had always been co-ed!

I've decided on the overarching plot, but not who to ship Chizuru with, so let's go on this ride together!

As always, reviews appreciated!

* * *

"_What kind of woman would choose to stay here?"_

_She felt happiness well up inside of her at his words; the voice was teasing, but she could see kindness – and even what she could only dare hope was a flicker of fondness – in the man's sly, green eyes. There were a number of other men gathered around her, broad smiles gracing their features. For some reason, she couldn't quite make out what they were saying; although they were close enough to touch, it was like they were having this conversation underwater, and their voices sounded hollow and distant._

_Regardless, she found herself nodding, as if making a promise with them…_

"Chizuru!"

She groaned softly, pulling her blanket over her head.

"Chi-zu-" She felt someone pull the blanket off her with so much force that she was almost thrown off her bed, "-ru! Come on, it's time to wake up!"

That startled her enough to wake her for good. Still disoriented from being so rudely awoken, she slowly sat up, opening an eye as she yawned; since her father was out of the country for a medical conference in the Netherlands, there was only one other person who had the keys to her house… Besides, even when her father was around, he would never wake her up in such a manner. He was always gentle, and never loud or in a hurry.

The person currently waking her up though… He was the exact opposite, and she couldn't help but think that he must be having fun, taking revenge for all the times she woke him up roughly in the morning.

However, their situations were different; she might take some time to get up, but he would _never_ wake up if she tried to be gentle!

"It's not like you to be late, Chizuru," Heisuke-kun sighed, sounding only mildly apologetic for his actions as he released her blanket, letting it fall back on her bed. From her bedside table, he took a hold of her phone. He fidgeted with it, sighing again as he showed her the screen; her vision was still a little hazy, and the screen was a tad too bright to look at for long, but she could make out a number of missed calls and text messages, "I texted you and when you didn't reply, I tried calling several times. Geez… I thought that you might be too sick to get out of bed and had rushed over, but you were only oversleeping! I'm usually the one sleeping in on a school da-"

He stopped abruptly, and leaned in way too close, his eyes squinted as he scrutinized her face. Instinctively, she leaned back and away, but her childhood friend had other ideas; he had a firm but gentle grip on her cheek to hold her in place.

"Say, Chizuru. Were you crying?"

"Huh?"

He had freed her after taking a good look at her face, and she quickly touched her own face, surprised that her skin felt moist and slightly sticky. She frowned, and looked down at her pillow, finding one side of it wet.

"Did you have a nightmare? I'm glad I woke you up then!"

"Ah, no… That's not…" She pursed her lips as she pushed herself off her bed; did she have a nightmare? She could remember dreaming last night, but it didn't feel like she had a _nightmare_. Instead, as she tried to recall the dream, she felt a sudden, dull ache in her chest.

"No? Hm, I see… That's good then," His frown remained for a few seconds when he noticed the brief flicker of pain that appeared on her face. When she looked like she was back to her usual self, he flashed her a toothy grin, "Or could it be that you were _drooling_ in your sleep?"

"W-what?! Heisuke-kun!"

The boy laughed, and she felt the heat creeping up her cheeks.

He was about to say something else when he looked slightly alarmed, as if he had just remembered something important. He then proceeded to stare at the hand that was on her face just a minute ago, looking like he had never seen his own hand before. He examined it, turning it over as he muttered something to himself under his breath. Since he was considerate enough not to turn on the lights in her room – lest she be blinded upon waking up – it was still rather dark in her room. However, from the light filtering in from the corridor – where the lights had been turned on – she thought she saw the edge of his ears turn a brilliant shade of red.

"A-ANYWAY!" He stuck one hand out, finger pointed at her as he yelled so loudly and suddenly that whatever sleepiness she had was effectively scared out of her, "What are you doing! We're going to be late for your first day in school! I mean, I'm always late so I'm used to it, but you were the one who suggested for us to meet up early because you thought that _I _was going to make you late… And now you're just sitting there in a daze!"

… First day of school? What is he saying? She's been attending Shimabara High School since-

Her eyes widened, finally understanding what he was trying to tell her; today was her official first day at Hakuou Academy. It was a private school, but had a good reputation, and was affiliated to the esteemed Hakuou University – although it would cost more to attend than the public school she was in, her father had decided that her education was worth it… It hadn't been her decision, and she felt rather down about having to leave behind her friends at Shimabara High, but she knew that her father had her best interests in mind.

In the end, it was Heisuke-kun who cheered her up, and got her slightly excited about the transfer.

"You're going to make lots of new friends, Chizuru!" He had said, pumping a fist in the air when she first told him the news, "So don't be too upset! Oh, and I'll make sure that nobody dares to bully you! If anyone dares to make you cry, I will find them and whack them upside down for you. We can also eat lunch together, if you like! It will be like when we were in Junior High. It'll be fun!"

While she was still sad about the transfer, she was now also looking forward to it. Since they were young children, his optimism always had a positive effect on her. He was like her sun, there to dry her tears and warm the cockles of her heart whenever she felt down and out… She often teased him about acting like a child despite being one year older than her, but he could also be an adult when the situation called for it.

She considered him one of her closest friends.

Right now though, Heisuke-kun looked a little _too_ pleased at her 'eureka' moment, his hands linked together behind his head as he grinned at her. If he was looking so smug about it, she must be making quite the surprised and horrified expression…

"You're terrible, Heisuke-kun! Why couldn't you have said that first?!" She grabbed her pillow and flung it at his face before dashing off to her bathroom to get ready, ignoring his indignant cries at being assaulted out of the blue.

She would have just enough time to take a quick shower, although shampooing her hair would have to wait until she was home from school.


	2. Year one, Form one

By some stroke of good luck, they managed to run through the gates before the school bell sounded, and had split up at the shoe lockers after changing into their indoor shoes.

He had wanted to show her to her classroom, worried that she might get lost in her new school, but she assured him that she had everything under control. After all, his classroom was on the third floor while hers was on the second floor; if he showed her the way, he would probably not make it to his classroom before the arrival of his homeroom teacher.

"You sure about this, Chizuru?" He asked, pausing at the next flight of stairs on the second floor, his arms slung over the railing as he looked at her; his brow was furrowed with worry.

"It's just straight down this corridor, right?" She pointed to her left, and flashed him a confident smile, "There's no way I'll get lost if all I have to do is to walk straight!"

"Um, actually, Chizuru…" He gave her a sheepish look before pointing at the corridor to her right, "It's _that_ way… AUUUGGGH! I REALLY CAN'T JUST LEAVE YOU ALONE!"

She laughed nervously, and felt so embarrassed that she wanted the ground to open up and just swallow her whole. Since that was impossible, her only escape was to stare at the _suddenly very fascinating_ tiles on the ground. She was so absorbed in it that she failed to hear the footsteps of someone approaching them from the ground floor.

"Eh, Heisuke-kun? If you stand around flirting with girls, you'll be late for class. I don't think Hijikata-sensei will appreciate that."

She would describe the voice as 'smooth', much like silk.

"AH, HARADA-SENSEI!" Her friend sounded so relieved that she thought he might just add 'my savior' to his greeting, "You came at the right time! Please take Chizuru with you! She's absolutely _hopeless_ with directions."

"Chizuru? As in _Yukimura_ Chizuru?"

She was in the middle of thinking of a rebuttal to Heisuke-kun's 'hopeless with directions' comment, but whatever comeback she had thought of was now gone. Instead, she frowned, forcing her eyes away from the tiles on the floor to look at this 'Harada-sensei', wondering how he knew her full name.

"Um, y-yes?" She replied with a slight tilt of her head; he was a tall man sprouting hair so red that, if not for his distinctively Japanese features, might get him mistaken for a foreigner. She had to wonder if that was even his _natural_ hair color.

"I see," He grinned, and the sight of it somehow made her feel more relaxed. Perhaps it was the vibe he was giving off, but she couldn't help but feel that she was now in good hands, "I'm your new homeroom teacher, Yukimura-san. Welcome to Year one, Form one."

"Oh!" Her eyes widened at the piece of information, and she nodded her head once, "Good morning, Harada-sensei, and thank you."

He smiled at her, and then turned to Heisuke-kun, who had begun jogging on the spot as he prepared himself to dash to class.

"Leave her to me," He waved a dismissive hand at him before gesturing for Chizuru to follow.

"Okay!" Heisuke-kun replied loudly before skipping up the stairs, two steps at a time; she had to wonder how that smaller-than-average-high-schooler-body could have so much energy, "See you, Chizuru!"

She watched him until he was out of her sight before jogging after Harada-sensei to catch up with him. Once she did, she walked beside him, growing more and more nervous with every step they took towards the classroom.

"When Heisuke-kun was in my class last year, he was late during the first day," Harada-sensei grinned as he recalled the incident from over a year ago, "He came up with this bright idea to come in through the back door, pretending that he came from the bathroom… But he forgot that he was carrying his bag, which meant that he was never in the classroom to begin with."

She giggled, smiling to herself as she imagined the whole scenario in her head; that sounded a lot like something Heisuke-kun would do.

"You finally smiled," He interrupted her thoughts with a chuckle, and offered her a satisfied smile, "Young girls like you should enjoy your time in high school, from start to finish. There's no need to be nervous about your first day."

"… Thank you, Harada-sensei," She returned his smile as they stopped in front of the classroom. The moment he opened the door, she could hear a myriad of voices that quickly faded... Only to start up again once they realized who it was. She followed closely behind him, and stood beside the teacher's desk as she meekly looked around the classroom.

Harada-sensei might have managed to dispel some of her nervousness, but there was just no way she wouldn't feel at least _slightly_ nervous about this!

"Alright, class! Settle down already!"

She noted that her new homeroom teacher commanded respect from his students, even if it might not look that way. After all, although his words did get the silence he wanted, it only lasted mere seconds before almost every hand in the class shot up. Without waiting to be called, several of the students started to talk.

"What's wrong, Harada-sensei?"

"You sure are as loud as Nagakura-sensei today!"

"Ha! I know, right?!"

"Harada-sensei, have you been spending too much time with Nagakura-sensei lately?"

"Say, say! Who's that girl with you, Harada-sensei?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair at all the commotion. However, despite his exasperation, he did not seem angry or even upset as he handed her a black whiteboard marker.

"We have a transfer student joining us today," He announced loudly, one hand resting on his hip, when the class finally settled down again. Glancing at her, he gave her an encouraging nod, "Well, why don't we get her to introduce herself?"

"Y-yes!" She got what he was trying to say, and immediately penned her full name down on the whiteboard. Then, turning to face her new classmates, she put on her most confident smile, "My name is Yukimura Chizuru, and I transferred here from Shimabara High. Let's all get along!"

She bowed her head, and only lifted it when she heard her classmates' polite clapping.

"Right," Harada-sensei grinned, and gestured to a desk at the back of the class, beside the window, "That'll be your seat. If you have any concerns, feel free to approach your classmates. They might be a rowdy bunch, but they're also really kind kids."

"Aw, you're making me blush, Harada-sensei!"

The outburst from one of the boys in the class caused laughter to erupt among the students. Although it was at the expense of Harada-sensei, she couldn't help but giggle along, her shoulders relaxing as she let go of the tension she didn't realize she had been building up.

By the time she got to her seat, the class had quietened down again. Although everyone was joking around just a minute ago, most of them now looked serious and were listening attentively to the lesson. Not wanting to be left behind, she swiftly took out her books and stationary from her bag. In her hurry, the pen she picked up to record notes with slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor, rolling over to the table beside hers – not too far, but still definitely out of her reach.

She would risk distracting the class if she stood to pick it up now, and thought it better to leave it on the floor till the end of the lesson. However, the girl at the table beside hers seemed to have other ideas.

"Here. It belongs to you, right?" The girl whispered, smiling warmly as she held the pen out towards her, "I'm Suzuka Sen, by the way."

For the first time since she took a seat, Chizuru noticed how pretty the girl next to her was; her waist-length hair looked smooth and silky, and she had naturally long eyelashes that made her eyes rather mesmerizing to look into.

"T-thank you, Suzuka-san," She reached out for her pen, surprise plain on her face when the girl pulled her hand back all of a sudden, keeping the pen out of reach.

"Suzuka-san sounds rather cold… We're the same age, so please call me Sen!"

"Um… Sen-chan then?"

"That's much better, Chizuru-chan!"

Sen-chan held out the pen again, and as Chizuru retrieved it, she wondered if calling her 'Sen-chan' would always put a bright smile on her classmate's face.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Familiar faces are starting to come together! I wonder who she'll run into next?

Guest: Thank you for your kind words!


	3. Maths work out

**Author's Notes:**

Aw, thank you for all your kind reviews! I hope I won't let any of you down with how the story progresses.

* * *

The sound of the school bell marked the end of Harada-sensei's lesson, but it was until he was done with the day's syllables did someone call for the class to raise and thank him for class. He smiled, warned them about 'not going too crazy', and then promptly left. Once he exited the classroom and closed the door behind him, the class exploded into activity. Some students turned around to talk to their classmates while others took out hidden mobile phones and started tapping at the screen. A few students had decided to lay their head on the table, eager to take the opportunity to take a short break before their next lesson.

"Chizuru-chan!" Sen-chan had approached her desk while she was spacing out, and had grabbed hold of her hands in her own. There was something about her upbeat and forward personality that threw Chizuru off, but that genuine smile assured her that her classmate's intentions were pure, "If there's anything you want to know, please feel free to ask me! I'm here to help!"

It was almost enviable, how someone could be so direct and friendly with a stranger they just learned the name of.

With a smile, Chizuru blushed and nodded, just as eager to get to know Sen-chan a little better; even if she was only being nice to make her feel welcomed, she appreciated her efforts. Besides, while it wasn't as if she didn't know anyone in the school, Heisuke-kun was in Year 2 and she was in Year 1… They probably wouldn't meet outside of lunch.

It would be nice to be friends with some of her classmates, since they'll be the ones she would spend the most time with.

The conversation soon turned to small talk – where they lived, why Chizuru decided to transfer schools, what sort of desserts they enjoyed, the type of breads sold in school for lunch – before they got to exchanging phone numbers and email addresses. Their chatter continued until the door to the classroom opened, and the teacher for the next lesson stepped in. By the time the teacher reached his desk, all the students had somehow managed to return to their seats or stowed away their phones – perhaps they were already accustomed to this routine.

"Rise!"

Everyone stood up simultaneously, and she did too as well; it was only customary to greet the teacher before each lesson, after all.

"Greet!"

At the prompt, she realized a little too late that she had no idea who the teacher was.

A few days ago, Heisuke-kun had given her the description and names of her teachers, but she could barely remember all of them. It didn't help that she was currently panicked, and unable to think clearly. Fairly desperate, she briefly wondered if it would be possible to just mouth the greeting by reading the lips of her classmates. That way, even if she read their lips wrong, nobody would know since she would not be making a sound.

Committing to the plan, her eyes wandered the room nervously as she tried to follow along.

"Good mor-"

Her eyes fell on the teacher for the first time since he entered the room. Although he was the math and science teacher, he was wearing a green tracksuit, giving the impression of a physical education teacher. To add to his already deceiving get-up, a white bandana was wrapped around his forehead like a sweatband. He had a huge grin on his face as he scanned the room, and she thought that it was delightful how he looked so _proud _to be their teacher.

As she was busy staring at the teacher, their eyes met, and she held back a gasp; her heart skipped a beat as, in that second, she wondered why that grin looked so familiar. Although this should be their first meeting, it was like reuniting with an old friend… There was something reassuring about his presence that made her think of him as a big brother rather than as a teacher.

"-ning, Nagakura-sensei!" The students chimed in unison.

"-ning, Nagakura-san!" Chizuru said naturally, like she had done it a million times.

When the teacher frowned and started to walk towards her, she thought that he was going to pat her on the head. It didn't register that she had made a blunder until someone near the middle of the class let out a chuckle; that was all it took for most of her classmates to chuckle along.

When she finally came to her senses, Nagakura-_sensei_ was already standing in front of her. Her eyes darted away, to Sen-chan nearby. Unlike the rest of the class, she looked a lot more worried than amused, but instead of feeling better, it made her feel worse about her situation – if her friend was concerned, it must mean that she's in serious trouble… Could Nagakura-sensei be the unforgiving type despite his appearances?

"You must be Yukimura-kun? I might not look the part, but I _am _a teacher," He folded his arms across his chest in what appeared to be a gesture of anger. The class had stopped chuckling, and it was so silent that you could hear a pin drop; perhaps they had finally started to worry for her? She would be worried for herself too but, while it was hidden from everyone else in the class as he had his back to them, Nagakura-sensei's had grin never left his face.

"YOU-" He turned abruptly, his back now to her as he raised his arm and pointed at a boy sitting near the middle of the class, "Tanaka-kun!"

"Y-yes, sensei?"

"You were the one who laughed first!"

It was an accusation that sounded so ridiculous to her – there was no way Nagakura-sensei could have picked that up since, the last time she checked, he clearly did not have eyes on the back of his head.

… She looked up with a frown, staring at the back of the man's head.

Nope. No eyes.

"I- I-"

"Tanaka-kun, it is unbecoming of a man to laugh at a girl's expense!" He nodded sagely at his own words, "Harada-sensei would agree with me."

"I- I'm sorry, Nagakura-sensei!" The boy shot up from his seat, and looked in her direction. He dipped his head, suddenly nervous, "Yukimura-san too! I'm sorry!"

"It's good that you're apologizing, but if you're a _true_ man, you'll accept your punishment!"

"Please, Nagakura-sensei, I-"

She couldn't quite place her finger on the atmosphere in the room. Although Tanaka-kun was clearly being punished for what she perceived to not really be a mistake, nobody seemed concerned. In fact, if not for the fact that he was being punished for laughing at his classmate, she was sure that everyone would be laughing at him right now. It was probably mean spirited of them, but for some reason, she felt no menace behind their apparent indifference.

"During lunch, put on your sports attire and meet me at the gym!" He clearly had no intention of listening to the pleas of his student, "We're going to run three rounds around it!"

… Wait, what? Did he just say '_we'_ instead of just 'Tanaka-kun'?

Tanaka-kun sighed, and sat back down, hunched over his desk; he seemed to have completely resigned to his fate. The boy seated at the table to his left reached over to pat him on the shoulder while the girl seated behind him shook her head slowly.

She had a feeling that this wasn't the first time something similar happened with Nagakura-sensei. In fact, from their reactions, she wondered if it was actually a common occurrence.

"Now," Nagakura-sensei had begun to walk away from her desk, and towards the whiteboard. He procured a pair of glasses from the pocket of his sweatpants, and surprisingly, it wasn't as green as his outfit. Instead, it was navy on the sides and had a thin silver frame. Once he put it on, she was amazed to find that he looked about _ten times more dependable as a teacher_, "Turn to page 42 of your book. We'll be doing question 1 as a class, and then _one lucky soul _will be solving question 2 for us on the whiteboard."

As one body, the whole class groaned.


	4. A challenger appears!

After the _excitement_ of Nagakura-sensei's class, Chizuru was extra alert during the rest of the classes; before each lesson, she would check with Sen-chan to get the name of the teacher teaching it, and to make a good first impression, she diligently made notes for each class in separate notebooks. Sen-chan said that she didn't need to go _that_ far, but really, it also served to make her feel a little better about herself… Especially considering what happened in the second class.

Four different notebooks later, she realized that the school bell marking the end of _this_ particular class sounded different, and realized that it was time for lunch. Everyone in the class was tensed, and some of them – especially the boys – kept glancing at the clock on the wall and at the door as the teacher gave them their homework, to be handed in the next day.

She copied the assignment details into her notebook for the class, and gently rubbed her quietly growling stomach. Due to being in a rush for school in the morning, she didn't have time to prepare a bento for herself; when she told Sen-chan, the girl had immediately volunteered to show her to where the cafeteria was, so that she would be able to get herself some bread… But she also told her that the bread supply was usually limited, and some people would often get greedy and buy more than they needed, so they would have to make a rush for it in order to make it before they sold out.

"… And that's what you need to hand in tomorrow. You're dismissed now."

"RISE!"

The classmate in charge of calling sounded nervous and a little louder than usual; the class responded by rising quickly and almost impatiently.

"BOW!"

"Thank you, Itou-sensei!"

Unlike with the rest of the classes that morning, the students did not bother to wait for the teacher to leave the class before they acted. Instead, about half the class' occupants immediately rushed towards one of the two doors in the classroom, dramatically flinging it open; with what she would describe as a war cry of sorts, they then sprinted towards the direction of the cafeteria.

Thanks to Itou-sensei being longwinded and generally _slow_, their class was behind the whole school for "lunch rush hour", and nobody wanted to be delayed any longer. If she wasn't participating in this madness, she would probably have enjoyed watching the students climb over each other just to get out the door.

"Come on, Chizuru-chan!" Sen-chan had a firm grip on her hand as they left the classroom, forcing her to keep up as she led the way down the corridor, "This way! And then down the stairs! Try to keep up, alright?"

She could only nod, panting too heavily to reply.

After they reached the first floor, it wasn't long before they arrived at where a large group of students were gathered; to be honest, it resembled a _warzone_, with students shoving and squeezing each other instead of there being an organized queue, like back in her old school… Dread set in when she realized that she would have to get past _all those students_ just to purchase _a single piece of bread_?

More than ever, she regretted sleeping in so late… There was no way she would ever do that again.

Since it was _war_, there was no opportunity for her to catch her breath. Instead, Sen-chan had dragged her over to the front lines, and thrust them straight into the heart of the bread war. Their hands were still linked, which Chizuru was thankful for since Sen-chan seemed to be really good at navigating her way through large groups of students, and it wasn't long before she found herself at the table displaying the different types of bread for sale.

She decided to just pick one at random, too overwhelmed to make a conscious decision. However, picking up the bread and paying for it meant that she had to let Sen-chan's hand go, and her friend soon disappeared into the crowd. Nervous about being left alone, she scanned the table.

"Maybe this -"

She grabbed onto the last yakisoba bread, since it was the closest to her, and was about to remove it from the table when someone else grabbed hold of it. Instantly, she froze, biting down on her lower lip; how could her first day of school be filled with this much misfortune?

"Oi, I don't care if you're a girl, but that's _mine_."

A male upperclassman – holding onto what looked like a _mountain_ of bread in his arms – was her challenger, and with every second that ticked by, he looked more and more pissed off. She wanted to let go of the bread since conflict was never really her thing, but looking at how many he was already carrying in his arms, she wondered if this was one of the "greedy people" Sen-chan told her about… And she couldn't help feeling _indignant_ when she thought about how, because of inconsiderate bullies like him, some students might end up without any lunch today.

It wasn't fair to give in to people like him, just because they were tall… And intimidating… And kind of scary when he's glaring at her in that manner.

"I'm sorry but I grabbed it first!" Her voice was shaking, but her eyes were narrowed and determined as she tightened her hold on the bread; she was going to take a stand, and she was not backing down, "A-anyway! You already have one, two, three-" She mentally counted the rest of the bread in his arms, "-seven! _N-nobody_ can finish that much bread!"

"_Oh yeah?_" He practically growled as he forcefully snatched the bread away from her. As if to taunt her, he dangled the bread above her, just out of her reach. With a sneer, he leaned in dangerously close, "Maybe you're right… But what are you going to do about it?"

She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face so badly, but he was right… Although some students had noticed their little fight, she realized that they had just taken a step away from them as opposed to helping her stand up to the bully. Most of them were either disinterested or simply did not want to involve themselves. In the distance, she thought she heard Sen-chan's voice over the voices of the students gathered in the cafeteria, but she didn't want to look away.

She wanted to stare at the bully. Stare at him until he was uncomfortable, until he backed away, until he-

"Excuse me~" A student had walked out of the crowd surrounding them, a smile playing on his lips; he seemed blissfully unaware of the tension – or rather, upon closer inspection, she observed that he just didn't care. Humming a tuneless melody, he walked in between herself and the bully, casually raising his arm to grab the bread that the bully had been dangling out of her reach when he passed by.

"I'll have this please," He ignored the surprised faces of the students who had witnessed the scene, and proceeded to pay for the yakisoba bread. Once it was paid for, he opened the packaging and took a bite out of it on the spot. While eating the bread, he then walked back the way he came – in between herself and the bully, and towards the group of students surrounding them.

"OI, YOU BASTARD!" The bully, having just realized what happened, turned to grab the student by his shoulder, "That was my bread!"

"Huh?" The student's movement was almost lazy as he half turned, glancing at the hand on his shoulder. His smile still did not falter, but Chizuru shivered at the almost feral look in his green eyes – rather than avoiding a fight, he looked like he was egging the taller, larger student to make the first move, "Maybe you're right… _But what are you going to do about it, hm?_"

Her eyes widened at the words he chose to use; those were the exact words the bully used just now…

"Why you-" The bully had dumped the bread in his arms onto the table in order to free his hands.

Meanwhile, the other boy continued munching on the bread without a care in the world.

That nonchalant behavior probably fueled the bully's anger further, as he clenched his fist and pulled it back, ready to deliver a punch.

She gasped, launching herself forward without thinking.


	5. Green eyed monster

_He was bent over and on his knees, surrounded by a slowly growing pool of his own blood. Despite how he looked, he had one hand grasped tightly around the hilt of his sword as he struggled to stand. She admired how the fire in his eyes – that feral glint itching for a fight – never dulled, even though they were in what she perceived to be a hopeless situation. She was holding back tears, trying her best to appear as brave as he was; her arms were wrapped around his shoulders to support him – or were they there to hold him back?_

_The scene was fading to black, but she heard her own tearful voice ringing out from the darkness._

"_Why did you do that? You said that if I ever got in your way, you would kill me! So why?"_

"… _Hm? That's right... Huh, I wonder… Why…"_

_She then heard a dull thud, followed by her voice calling his name frantically, as if afraid that he might slip through her fingers if she stopped even for a second._

_Those sly, green eyes were so familiar, and his name… What's his name…?_

She felt disoriented all of a sudden, and her knees gave way as she flopped to the ground with a dazed expression. It felt like someone had punched her in the stomach, and she found no strength to stand.

From where she sat, she stared in awe as the mysterious boy easily avoided the bully's punch with a step to the side, his smile widening as he retaliated with three quick thrusts using the palm of his hand – one on his neck, one on his left shoulder, and one on his right shoulder. Despite the vast difference in their height, the bully was pushed back, and had to hold the table for support to avoid falling backwards.

"You should take your _seven pieces of bread_ and leave before I get serious," He grinned, and Chizuru was reminded of the mischievous fox of legends.

"You… I'll remember this!" The bully panted, and shoved his way out of the crowd gathered around them.

"Hey, you forgot your bread~" He called after him before letting out a chuckle, and walking away. This time, the students parted, forming a path for him; from them, she sensed both wariness and admiration. However, he just continued to eat the yakisoba bread as if nothing had happened.

"W-wait…" She muttered, climbing up from the floor to run after him. Having regained some of her composure, she raised her voice a little, reaching out to grab hold of the sleeve of his cardigan, "Wait!"

He turned to regard her, and for a split second, his expression seemed to soften.

"You-"

"CHIZURU!" Heisuke-kun appeared before the student could get another word out, his eyes filled with worry as he looked her over, "Are you okay? Any injuries? I looked for you in your class but your classmates said that you went to the cafeteria, so I went to the cafeteria and overheard a girl calling your name, so I asked her about you, and she said that you were confronting a bully, so I tried to make my way past the students with her help, but they just wouldn't move and _UGGHHHHH_!"

He finished with a loud groan, and slapped himself on the forehead, "I even promised that I would protect you from bullies!"

"You weren't doing a very good job then~" There was no malice behind his words, but she couldn't help but feel that saying something like that… Sounded like he was trying to get himself in trouble.

"Eh, Souji?! What are you doing here?" He finally noticed that she was not alone, and that her hand was _holding onto the sleeve of another boy's uniform_; he frowned slightly, and seemed to tense up a bit after that observation.

"Hm? Doing your job for you, of course," The boy called Souji smiled, and removed her hand from his sleeve. However, instead of letting go, he held onto her wrist as he turned to look at her, "By the way, aren't you going to thank the person who saved you?"

"A-ah!" She quickly dipped her head, "I'm Yukimura Chizuru. Thank you for your help!"

That was the main reason she chased after him! How could she have forgotten?

When she raised her head again, he was chuckling again, "Well, I'm Okita Souji, and I don't dislike polite kids."

There was something… So sad and lonely about the way it was said that she couldn't help but frown. Indeed, she would have said something about it if Heisuke-kun hadn't elbowed the boy in his ribs then, glaring at the hand which was still holding onto hers; she had gotten so caught up in the whole situation that she had forgotten about where her hand was, and at Heisuke-kun's reminder, her face turned bright red.

Getting the not so subtle hint, he winced and let go, although not without first giving her a cheeky grin.

"Souji's my classmate," Heisuke-kun explained, pouting ever so slightly, "And also a fellow member of the Kendo Club."

The Kendo Club? Maybe that could explain how he was able to move like that just now, when the bully attempted to punch him…

"It's nice to meet you, Okita-senpai," She decided to greet him properly, "Let's get along."

"It's nice to meet you too, Chizuru-chan," He returned the greeting with a lopsided smile.

"Chizuru-chan?!" Heisuke-kun's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of its sockets, "Hey, shouldn't it be _Yukimura-san_?"

"No way!" Okita-senpai laughed, and ran towards the flight of stairs leading to the classrooms. Heisuke-kun, obviously railed up, ran after him, his threats of 'stay right there' and 'wait till I catch you' falling on deaf ears. After taking a few steps, Heisuke-kun seemed to have remembered something, and had turned around to wave at Chizuru in an attempt to get her attention.

"Meet you at the shoe lockers after school! We'll walk home together!" He yelled, causing several heads to turn towards him. Her face turned red as she looked away and tried to pretend that she wasn't the person he was yelling to. However, he was eagerly waiting for her reply, and so she had no choice but to nod; as embarrassed and she was feeling right now, the idea of walking home with Heisuke-kun after a long, tiring day in school sounded really nice.

She watched him as he returned to chasing Okita-senpai, but a tug on her arm demanded her attention; at first, she tensed up, wondering if it was the bully, back for revenge. Apprehensive, she slowly turned her head, her lips pressed into a thin line.

To her relief, it was a familiar – and welcomed – face.

"Chizuru-chan, are you alright?" Sen-chan asked, a frown tugging on her lips before she bowed her head, ashamed at her own behavior, "I'm so sorry! I should have done something!"

"It's not your fault! And I guess the whole thing could have been avoided…" Chizuru replied sheepishly, wondering what the point of her standing up to the bully was if the bully did not acknowledge her. She sighed, and then found herself wrapped in her friend's arms. Momentarily stunned, she blinked, and tilted her head, "Um, Sen-chan?"

"I'm just… Glad that you're fine…"

She didn't think she was in any sort of major danger just now since the bully didn't get violent until Okita-senpai egged him on; in fact, if he hadn't intervened, the only bruise she would have gotten would probably be a bruise to her ego rather than a physical injury. In her opinion, Sen-chan was overreacting and worrying too much. However, she found comfort in her friend's warm embrace, and had gladly returned the hug with a smile.

"Thank you, Sen-chan."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

And another character debuts! Technically he debuted in the previous chapter, but I guess this is his _official_ debut. I have already decided on the next person to come in, so look forward to that! (:


	6. Past tense

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the late update, but I've been busy with work. :'D To compensate, I'm uploading two chapters at once, since they've been sitting on my laptop for a while.

Also, thank you for the lovely reviews! They brighten up my day after a long day at work, so they're always appreciated!

* * *

It was already past midnight by the time she finished her homework and got ready for bed; one of the perks of being alone in the house while her father was away was that there was nobody to dictate her bedtime. Although she loved him dearly, he could be a little _inflexible_ at times.

Such as insisting that she transfer to Hakuou Academy at such short notice, for example.

She sighed, staring at her ceiling as she pulled her blanket up to her nose; it wasn't that she disliked this school, but so many things had happened on the first day… She could only imagine what the next three years would be like, with teachers like Nagakura-sensei, classmates like Sen-chan, and upperclassmen like Okita-senpai. There was also the problem of which club she should join, since clubs would be a great way for her to get to know more people; being in a good club could also help her with entering a better course of study in Hakuou University…

As she was about to sigh again, her phone lit up, vibrating on her bedside table. She reached over, too lazy to get up, and stretched her arm till she was able to grab it. With a triumphant smile, she then held the phone above her face and double tapped on the screen to activate it. When she saw who the sender of the message was, her smile widened, and she quickly typed up a response.

* * *

**Heisuke-kun:** Are you asleep?

**Chizuru:** Not yet! But I'm already in bed.

**Heisuke-kun:** Great! Don't be late again tomorrow, alright?

**Chizuru:** I won't be late twice in a row! I'm not you!

**Heisuke-kun:** HEY! What's that supposed to mean?!

**Chizuru:** n_n

**Heisuke-kun:** Don't n_n me and answer my question!

**Heisuke-kun:** I'll prove to you that I can be early too!

**Heisuke-kun:** In fact, I'll reach your house before you can leave it, so there!

**Heisuke-kun:** Hey are you ignoring me?

**Chizuru:** Good night, Heisuke-kun! n_n

**Heisuke-kun:** That's all you have to say? AH YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME RIGHT!

**Heisuke-kun:** I'LL BE EARLY TOMORROW, I'LL SHOW YOU!

* * *

She giggled, hearing his disgruntled voice at the back of her mind when she read his last text to her. It wasn't that she didn't trust him to keep his word, but he was probably playing video games right now and would continue to do so late into the night; this meant that he would most likely end up oversleeping tomorrow… Then again, if he does turn up early as he said he would, it wouldn't be the first time he surprises her.

Knowing that she could not afford to be late again tomorrow – there was just no way she would be going through the bread wars again! – Chizuru decided to set several alarms, each ringing at 5 minute intervals, before returning her phone to the bedside table. Closing her eyes, she turned to lie on her side so that she could hug her bolster, and it did not take her very long to drift off to dreamland.

* * *

The first alarm managed to wake her, and groggily, she sat up to turn it off. With a yawn, she linked her hands and stretched her arms above her head. Taking in a deep breath, she parted the curtains and peered out the window, smiling when she saw that the sun was not yet up; she had woken up earlier than usual, but better early than late!

With a skip in her step, she washed up and took a shower before heading to the kitchen, already in her school uniform. After putting on her father's apron so as to not dirty her school uniform, she looked through the refrigerator, wondering what she could use to put together a lunch box for herself; although she wasn't an expert at cooking, she had to cook for herself often enough to have gotten fairly decent at it over the past few years. In fact, being able to whip up a decent meal was a skill she was proud to have.

Besides, since this was her first Hakuou Academy lunch box, and because she still had plenty of time to kill, she wanted to be a little _ambitious_.

By the time she was done, her lunch box contained several lightly seasoned rice balls, sausages cut into little octopuses, an eggroll cut and rearranged into two heart shapes, as well as two fried shrimp, and a few slices of pickled radish… There was nothing particularly _exciting_, but she was still proud of her achievements. She even had enough sausages left over to make eight more little octopuses, and enough rice left over to make four more rice balls; since there would be nobody around to eat them at home, she packed those into a separate lunch box.

Hopefully, Sen-chan would enjoy them… And maybe she should invite Heisuke-kun too, since they often shared their lunch boxes when they were in middle school.

She smiled to herself as she cleaned up the kitchen, finishing just in time to meet her childhood friend. Placing the two lunch boxes into her school bag, she left her house to wait at the gate, and patiently waited for him to arrive.

As she guessed, he was not early at all, much less earlier than _her_.

However, just as she was about to go pay Heisuke-kun a visit at his house, she heard him yell her name and spotted him sprinting towards her. When he reached her house gate, he bent over, hands on his knees as he panted, casting sheepish looks in her direction. After his breathing returned to normal, he muttered a curse under his breath and kicked at a nearby pebble.

He looked so disappointed that she couldn't bring herself to tease him; maybe she would play it nice today, since she was in a good mood.

"Heisuke-kun?"

"I know, I know… I didn't manage to-"

"No, not that!" She giggled, cutting him off as she fished out the spare lunch box from her bag. Opening it, she held it towards him at an angle so that he could see its contents, "I went overboard and made extra, so I was wondering if you would like to have lunch together today."

"Really? Even though I was late?" He looked moved to the point of tears, but it was his exaggerated gestures that often brought a smile to her face, "Alright! Let's have lunch in your class!"

"You weren't exactly late… We're still earlier than scheduled," She pointed out with a giggle, happy that he was eager to have lunch together. She then paused as she covered the lunch box again, "Not that I mind, but why my class?"

"Uh, you see… That's because… Because my class, uh, can get really crowded during lunch! _Yeah!_ Most of them bring their own lunch from home and stick around to eat it," He grinned, hands on his hips as he nodded vigorously, as if agreeing with himself, "But when I went to your class yesterday, I realized that half your class was gone."

"Ah! That makes sense," She nodded, putting the lunch box back into her bag with an easy smile. Once she was ready, they headed for the road leading to school; it was nice to be able to walk at a leisurely pace rather than rush – again emphasizing why it's better to be early than late, "I'll see you in my class then! It'll be the perfect opportunity for me to introduce Sen-chan to you! "

"The girl you were telling me about on the way home yesterday?" He stroked his chin, "She might be the girl I met at the cafeteria…"

"Mm-hm!" She nodded, beaming as she recalled how helpful her classmate was, "She really helped me to survive my first day."

"I see," His smile was gentle and thoughtful and downright _infectious_, "I'll have to thank her then!"

* * *

When the lunch bell went off, the class started to become fidgety again, even if everyone remained in their seats since that was the protocol. Thankfully, unlike Itou-sensei, Harada-sensei knew what his students were thinking, and had quickly ended class; perhaps it was that perception of his, along with his ability to understand what his students want, that had made him one of the most popular teachers in school.

… Although his popularity also led to several rumors about how he had broken several young schoolgirls' hearts in the few years he had been teaching here.

"It's the weekend tomorrow, so you _do _have homework from me," He smiled, laughing when a number of her classmates sighed, "_But_ it's just a simple reading assignment. I'll write the details down on the board so you kids can go get your bread… You are dismissed now!"

"Rise!"

Everyone stood up in unison; she thought she saw some students look at him with tears in their eyes.

"Bow!"

Everyone bowed, but instead of a uniform 'thank you', there were a couple of deviations; she wasn't sure that something like this could happen in another school, or to another teacher in this school for that matter. Harada-sensei was probably the only one who would tolerate – or maybe he _thrived _on – such behavior from his students.

"THANK YOU HARADA-SENSEI!"

"YOU'RE THE BEST!"

"WE LOVE YOU HARADA-SENSEI."

"NEVER CHANGE!"

Like yesterday, roughly half the students in the class stood up to leave the class; although they were early today, the scramble to leave the class first was just as intense as when they were late… She was right about enjoying the scene more as an observer, rather than a participant.

"Chizuru-chan," Sen-chan turned to her from her desk, giving her a sheepish smile as she put her hands together and dipped her head, "Sorry I forgot to tell you earlier, but I'm meeting a friend from another class for lunch. You can join us if you like though! She's excited to meet you."

"Oh, that's alright, Sen-chan!" Chizuru shook her head, feeling a little bad that she had to reject her offer, "Actually, I'm meeting a friend for lunch too… When you were at the cafeteria yesterday, did a boy approach you looking for me?"

Sen nodded, eyes widening.

"That's my childhood friend, Heisuke-kun. He's supposed to come to our class for lunch today," She explained, taking out the two lunch boxes from her bag, "I wanted to introduce the two of you, but…"

She trailed away, mentally berating herself for feeling disappointed; it wasn't as if she had informed Sen-chan of her plans beforehand, so there was no use feeling sad about this.

"… Maybe another day?"

"It's a promise," Sen-chan replied before getting up from her seat, "I'll see you later!"

Chizuru smiled and nodded, trying not to let her disappointment show.


	7. Hide and seek

She had set up the two lunch boxes, along with two pairs of chopsticks, on her desk after Sen-chan left. Bored while waiting, she decided to look out the window and ended up daydreaming, staring at the building in the distance with a blank expression on her face. She was so absorbed in her daydream that she did not notice Heisuke-kun's presence until he nosily announced himself by dragging Sen-chan's abandoned chair over to her table.

"Heisuke-kun!" She jumped, and almost bumped her head against the wall beside her, "W-when did you get here?"

"While you were busy staring out the window," He replied with a board grin, and she flushed, fiddling with the end of her ponytail; should she try to defend herself? Say something like ' that's because Heisuke-kun took so long to get here'?

While she was distracted with Heisuke-kun, Okita-senpai had kicked the boy sitting in front of her off his seat and had taken over his chair. Instead of turning the chair around, he chose to straddle it, his arms hanging limply off the back as he leaned forward to examine the content of the lunch boxes. A smile played on his lips as he prodded one of the sausage octopuses with a finger.

"Eh~ You made this yourself? Not bad."

"O-Okita-senpai? You're here too?"

"That's because I didn't have the opportunity to spend more time with you before," He replied, and she wondered if he was referring to yesterday's incident with the bully, "So I want to make up for it, as much as I can."

"Ugh, you always use _that_ as an excuse only when it's convenient…" Heisuke-kun muttered, looking away with a frown; it sounded like Okita-senpai had used the same excuse to somehow convince Heisuke into letting him join them for lunch.

She had to admit that it sounded like a very Okita-senpai thing to do – although since he had only met her yesterday, wouldn't it be normal for them to not have spent that much time together?

"You're right," Okita-senpai laughed an odd, hollow laugh, "But that's why they call it an _excuse_, hm?"

"Um, there's more than enough for both of you since Sen-chan went to meet her friend, so it's fine that Okita-senpai is here," Chizuru didn't dislike the idea of getting to know Heisuke-kun's friends, and although he seemed to have a knack for teasing others and ruffling their feathers, Okita-senpai did not seem like a bad person to her… After all, he _did_ save her from a bully, even though they didn't know each other then.

"Well, it's not like I'm _unhappy_ that he's here, so there's no need for you to be so thoughtful about it, Chizuru…" Heisuke-kun's frown deepened and he sighed, regaining that bright smile she was so used to seeing, "Anyway, now that we're all here, let's eat-"

"There's only two pairs of chopsticks," Okita-senpai pointed out, cutting Heisuke off. Pausing, he then looked at Chizuru, the edge of his lips twitching upwards into a light smirk, "Say, say… This means that Chizuru-chan will have to feed me, right?"

"NO WAY," Heisuke-kun replied before she could, so agitated that he shot up from his seat with a huff, slamming his hands down on the table, "ABSOLUTELY NO WAY!"

His reaction caused her to blush, and her expression quickly turned sheepish as she opened her mouth to speak-

"Heisuke. You are being too loud, and disturbing the rest of the students."

A serene, quiet voice caused her to freeze as she sat up a little straighter, as if she might get scolded if she was caught slouching. Slowly, she inclined her head towards the source of the voice, expecting to see someone tall and physically intimating like the bully from yesterday, especially judging by how her body had naturally reacted to his voice. However, the student standing behind Heisuke was anything but physically intimidating; in fact, he was fairly lean and barely taller than Heisuke.

Still, she had to admit that his demeanor suited his voice perfectly well; he stood with his shoulders squared and back straight, but rather than appearing stiff or rigid, he was just _calm_. It was like staring at a stream with crystal clear water. Judging from the arm band around his right arm, she figured that he must be part of the school's disciplinary committee.

When the newly arrived student realized that she was looking at him, he turned, regarding her with his azure eyes. Very briefly, an emotion she could not place passed his features before he went back to looking as stoic as ever. For reasons unknown, he stared intently at her face – or rather, his eyes had locked onto hers, and she found herself unable to look away as he seemed to be searching her eyes for... _Something._ She feared that she might get lost in those eyes if she let down her guard for even a moment, but the idea of it... Did not scare her as much as she thought it might.

"Eh Hajime-kun, you're going to give Chizuru-chan the wrong idea if you keep looking at her like that," Okita-senpai's voice managed to snap her out of her trance, and she blinked, quickly looking away; her face felt warm, and her cheeks were no doubt redder than when Heisuke-kun had caused a commotion.

"… I apologize," The student from the disciplinary committee averted his eyes, going quiet.

"You didn't do anything weird!" She offered immediately, hoping to convince him that there was no need for an apology; she was not offended by his stare, nor was she really uncomfortable. It was just a little _embarrassing_. Remembering the lunch boxes, she picked one up, and held it towards him, "In fact, to show that I bear no ill will, would you like to join us for lunch? There should be enough for four…"

Again, she saw the slightest shift in his expression to one of surprise; as subtle as it was, she wondered if maybe he wasn't quite so stoic after all.

"I have to decline," He replied, his voice flat as he looked at the boy seated across her, "I am only here for Souji."

"Me?" Okita-senpai might _sound_ surprised, but he most certainly did not _look_ surprised at all, "Just so you know, Hajime-kun, I don't swing that way-"

"_Souji_," He seemed to sigh with exasperation, and she couldn't help but feel that their banter was part of a well-established routine, "Although I am sure that you are perfectly aware of why I am here, in case you have forgotten, yesterday, you-"

"I get it already, Hajime-kun. Can't believe you managed to track me down," He cut in with a loud sigh and draped himself over the back of the chair, as if all of his energy had been drained out of him by the short lecture, "I just need to go listen to the nagging of the demon, right?"

"Hijikata-sensei wouldn't be too happy to hear you call him that," Heisuke-kun snickered, but the offender only shrugged in response.

… She had heard of Hijikata-sensei, although she was sure that he was _infamous_ enough for most students to have heard of him; he was a teacher of the school – she believed he taught literature or something along those lines – but he was also the vice-principal. Heisuke-kun told her that he was known to be exceptionally strict and fairly hot-tempered, which was where his nickname of 'the demon' came from.

She was also told that he was an authoritarian where discipline was concerned… If Saitou-senpai was part of the disciplinary committee, then it would make sense for him to report directly to Hijikata-sensei. However, despite his reputation, 'the demon' clearly did not scare Okita-senpai at all.

"Thank you for the lunch, Chizuru-chan~" Okita-senpai grinned, grabbing a rice ball from one of the lunch boxes as he rose from his seat; judging by the expression on his face, you would never be able to guess that he was in trouble with the vice-principal. Perhaps he sensed her worry for him, but he grinned at her – as if to reassure him – and took a big bite out of the rice ball. With a wink, he then left the classroom with the student from the disciplinary committee.

Watching their retreating backs, she felt an odd emptiness inside of her.


	8. Senpai, notice me!

**Author's Notes:**

... I'm sorry it took so long for me to update! Again, I'll be uploading two chapters at once to make up for it. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

* * *

"_I believe in the things that do not change."_

_She neither understood those words, nor what he was thinking about as he looked at the blooming cherry blossoms, but she found faith in that smile on his lips. As long as he was able to smile like that, she thought that she could learn to believe in his ideals and ambition, even if she could not comprehend them. _

_Silently, she watched his back as he left, clutching tightly onto the single cherry blossom petal in her hand. So that he would not feel burdened by them, she bit back tears._

_After all, she had already made the decision to trust in his smile; to see that smile again, she would be patient…_

"W-wait… Saitou-san," She muttered, her hand holding onto the sleeve of his blazer; her eyes would not focus, and she felt like she was only half awake as she struggled to remember what it was that she had wanted to say.

"… Chizuru?" Heisuke-kun's voice sounded far away, and it wasn't until he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a firm shake did she finally snap out of her trance. Her stomach flip-flopped the way it did whenever she was suddenly awoken from a dream, and she blinked, trying to regain her composure.

"Chizuru, what's wrong? Hajime-kun might be strict but he's not going to do anything _too_ bad to Souji," He continued, withdrawing his hand from her shoulder with a sheepish laugh. Her mind worked to process his words, and she gave her childhood friend a questioning look, hoping for further clarification.

He sighed, and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"You just jumped out of your seat and went after Hajime-kun," He explained, his voice trailing away as he shifted his gaze to where her hand currently was, letting it do the rest of the explaining.

She frowned, and followed his gaze. Then, she stared at her own hand until her mind was finally able to process the explanation given to her. Right away, she let go of the sleeve, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks. Although she very much wanted to pretend that the whole thing never happened, she could feel Saito-senpai's gaze pinning her to the spot, demanding an explanation for her actions towards him.

"Maybe Chizuru-chan has a _sleeve fetish_," Okita-senpai broke the silence, his tone ever teasing as he wiggled a finger in her direction, "When we first met, she tugged on my sleeve like that too~"

"W-what! No! N-no, that's not-" She looked up from the floor, and immediately met with azure eyes; she had expected his gaze to be fierce, but it so surprisingly soft that she was quite taken aback. Whatever protests she had were stuck in her throat, and she found herself hemming and hawing.

"How did you know my name?"

"Y-your name? That's b-because Heisuke-kun and Okita-senpai-"

"You are mistaken," He didn't let her finish, as if impatient, "They addressed me by my first name, but you addressed me by my last name."

"I did? M-maybe I heard it from somewhere-"

"You also addressed me as Saitou_-san_."

"I…" She made a soft, distressed sound before dipping her head briefly, "I'm really sorry for being so rude, Saitou-senpai! Um, I really don't remember where I got your name from… M-maybe I heard it being mentioned by one of the students or read it from somewhere…"

"So you don't remember after all…" He had looked away again, and she caught the slightest hint of disappointment in his tone.

"Well, it wouldn't do if you were _special_, Hajime-kun," Okita-senpai laughed, and she frowned, wondering what he meant by that.

"That's right, Hajime-kun!" Heisuke-kun concurred, arms folded as he nodded vigorously. Of course, his agreement in the matter only served to deepen her confusion.

Saitou-senpai remained silent, but when he spoke again, his gaze was once again hard and focused.

"Souji, I haven't forgotten what I came here for."

The student in question sighed, his grin vanishing and replaced with a pained smile.

"Right, right," Okita-senpai followed after him, hands tucked into his pockets, "I'm coming."

She fidgeted with the edge of her skirt, brows furrowed in thought. After several minutes, she went after the pair, jogging out the classroom; if they were going to look for Hijikata-sensei, they were most likely on the way to the vice-principal's office, and even _she_ knew how to get there.

Behind her, she could hear Heisuke-kun's exasperated call for her to wait up, and the sound of his footsteps as he followed after her.

* * *

"Saitou-senpai!"

She knew she raised her voice enough for him to hear her despite the distance between them because Okita-senpai stopped to look at her, his eyebrow raised. However, her target did not slow down and instead had kept moving. She wasn't sure if he was pretending not to hear her, or so deep in his own thoughts that he wasn't aware that his name had been called, but she wasn't going to give up either way.

"Saitou-senpai!" Her voice was louder than she had intended as she skidded to a stop in front of him, one hand extended in a 'stop' gesture so that there was _no way_ he would be able to ignore her. She was panting from all the sprinting around, and gave herself a few seconds to catch her breath before she spoke again, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I… I don't know if I did or said something that might have hurt your feelings just now-"

She saw his eye lid twitch.

"-but I just can't feel comfortable leaving things the way they are. Um… Saitou-senpai is good friends with Heisuke-kun and Okita-senpai, right?" That was the way she saw their relationship; aside from how they used each other's first names, she also noticed how their banter made it seemed like they had known each other for years, "So I would like to get to know you better too… To start off, I am Yukimura Chizuru, and I recently transferred to this school. It is nice to meet you, Saitou-senpai."

She gave a shallow bow and shuffled her feet, feeling awkward at how lacking and sudden her introduction was. Saitou-senpai, however, either did not pick up on the awkwardness, or simply did not care.

"… I see," His gaze remained gentle, which was rather unnerving for some reason. For a moment, she wasn't sure if she preferred it when he was looking at her with a sterner expression. Then, softly, he muttered, "You didn't change at all…"

"Um… What do you mean, Saitou-senpai?"

"Nothing," He replied, closing his eyes, "Just talking to myself."

"But I heard you say-"

"Yukimura, how exactly are you planning on getting to 'know me better'?"

The question threw her off guard, and she stood there with her mouth slightly open as she fumbled for an answer, trying to buy herself more time. While grateful that Saitou-senpai was not rushing her for a reply, she was too ashamed to admit that – despite chasing him down – she hadn't really thought about it yet, and was thus determined to come up with something off the top off her head.

"That's… Well… Um… You know… Ah! _Lunch_!" Her face lit up, "Saitou-senpai will have no reason to decline lunch on Monday."

It came out sounding a little pushier than intended, but she _did_ already chase him down just to talk to him.

He smiled, making a quiet noise that she took to be a laugh.

"I am not against that idea."

She was delighted that he agreed, but the icing on the cake was that smile of his; there was something about his smile that was both sincere and honest, even if it was as subtle as his other expressions.

"Thank you!" She beamed, "I'm looking forward to it!"

Saitou-senpai responded with a curt nod and said nothing more. Shooting Okita-senpai a look to make sure that he was following, he then continued on his way to the vice-principal's office.

"Hey Chizuru, I'm going after them since I want to see Hijikata-sensei scold Souji senseless," Heisuke-kun's smile looked a little forced as he took a few tentative steps towards the other two, and she suddenly realized how quiet he was throughout her exchange with Saitou-senpai, "Um, I have Kendo Club activities after school today, so I can't walk you home…"

"T-that's fine! I can go home by myself!" She offered him what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she tried to figure out what Heisuke-kun could be troubled by; while it was easy enough to tell when he was upset, she knew from experience that he would need some time to mull things over before he would be willing to spill the beans… Although there was always the danger of him mulling it over and then refusing to tell her what's on his mind.

"Drop me a text when you're home, alright?"

When she nodded, he flashed a quick grin before running to catch up with his friends, leaving her alone in the corridor with only her thoughts for company.

* * *

feliciatcb - Your comments always make me so happy! Hehe I'm actually a bit of a Saitou fan myself, so I tried really hard to keep him in character. I'm glad you enjoyed his appearance and thank you for your continued support! ;;

Loralie37 - Aww that means a lot to me, since I'm always worried that I might write them out of character. More things will be revealed later, so stay tuned! ;D


	9. Demon

Chizuru couldn't leave it alone after all.

If she confronted Heisuke-kun now, he might give her the opportunity to make him talk; it wasn't healthy for him to bottle up all his troubles, and she would like to be able to support him the same way he had been supporting her. Besides, there was still ample time before the end of lunch break, so it's not like she was going to be late for class.

In her hurry, she failed to pay attention as she rounded a corner, running straight into someone going the opposite direction. The impact sent her tumbling backwards, and she would have fallen if the person she just ran into hadn't grabbed hold of her shoulders to help her regain her balance. Mortified at her own actions, she quickly dipped her head to avoid meeting the person's eyes; staring at his feet, she noticed that he was wearing dress shoes, and was thus most likely a teacher or a visitor to the school. Stuttering out an apology, she quickly scuttled away before she could embarrass herself even more.

"I'll accept your apology today."

The way he spoke made him sound haughty, but what really made her stop and turn around was the quality of his voice; it was deep but not husky, a baritone that was more bass than tenor. Most importantly, it gave her a sense of déjà vu that sent shivers down her spine. However, by the time she whipped her head around, he was gone. Trying to ignore the odd feeling in her stomach, she pursed her lips and returned to her original mission.

When she arrived at the vice-principal's office, she expected Heisuke-kun to be waiting outside and probably be eavesdropping on the conversation; instead, he was nowhere in sight. As she walked closer to peek in through the small window on the door, she heard an angry voice coming from inside – judging from how clearly she could hear him, the owner of the voice was definitely yelling. She fretted where she was standing until curiosity got the better of her, and she crept forward, pressing her ear against the door.

"Do you even _understand_ the gravity of the situation, Souji? Principal Kondou might be your guardian, but if you got involved in a fight in school, you can still get suspended!"

"There, there, Hijikata_-_sensei, no fight broke out after all so shouldn't you be glad?" She recognized that as Okita-senpai's voice, and strained her ears in order to hear the exchange a little better, "And if I can't get involved in a fight _in_ school, does that mean I can get involved with a fight _outside_ of school?"

"_Souji._"

She couldn't hear that voice as clearly due to its lower volume, but from the tone used, she guessed that it probably belonged to Saitou-senpai.

"No need to look at me like that, Hajime-kun... I was just joking."

"That's not funny though… Hijikata-sensei looks like he's ready to throw you out a window."

She recognized that voice as Heisuke-kun's, and frowned, trying to press her ear closer against the door; she felt bad for eavesdropping, but her curiosity had been piqued and she wanted to know the whole story.

"Eh… You too, Heisuke? Anyway, didn't you come along just to watch him do that? I thought you would be _happier_ if he _did_ toss me out a window."

"Oi, Souji. I'm still talking to you!"

… That angry voice must belong to Hijikata-sensei.

"Yesterday's incident was not the first! Since the start of the year, you've been involved in a number of conflicts that almost developed into fights," He went on; although the volume of his voice did not increase, she could hear that he was getting angrier and angrier with every word. In fact, he did sound angry enough to be throwing something – or someone – out a window, "Yesterday's incident was the worst so far though – why the hell would you hit someone over some _bread_? Are you so desperate to get kicked out of school?"

Chizuru's eyes widened when she realized what Okita-senpai was being reprimanded for, and quickly pressed her hands up to her lips in an effort to muffle her gasp. She felt guilt stab at her heart; it hardly seemed fair that he was the only one being scolded when _she_ was the person he was trying to help. If she had just given the bully that bread, the whole incident could have been avoided…

"E-excuse me!" She wasn't exactly thinking as she threw the door open and stepped into the room, but she did have enough _common sense_ left in her to close the door behind her. Bowing deeply, she squeezed her eyes shut before continuing, her voice strained but determined, "I-If sensei is angry at Okita-senpai for almost getting into a f-fight, then I s-should be scolded as well!"

All eyes in the room turned to her; she was so nervous that her throat felt parched and scratchy, but she knew that she could not back away now – it wasn't like she could just turn around and walk out the door.

"Okita-senpai only confronted that student because he was helping me!" Her voice shook as she spoke, looking up from the floor to look the demon vice-principal in the eye; for some reason, she had a feeling that this was no time to bow her head, "That s-student was being an unreasonable bully, and Okita-senpai stopped him from doing something to me… S-so I am responsible for what happened yesterday as well!"

It had become so silent in the room that she could hear her own breathing, and when nobody spoke after she was done, she found herself wishing that the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Her eyes trained onto Heisuke-kun, hoping that he would save her, but he looked like he was in too much shock to speak. When the silence stretched on so much that it was almost uncomfortable, she fidgeted, tempted to say something random just to combat the silence.

"But _who_ the hell _incited_ a fight?"

Hijikata-sensei's words made her shoulders slump, and her eyes fell to the floor.

"T-that's…" She pursed her lips, unable to find an excuse that would pass off as a legitimate _reason_; she knew that the situation could have been handled so much better, and that Okita-senpai did seem like he was _inciting _a fight, rather than simply stopping a bully from causing any harm.

"There, there, Hijikata-sensei," Okita-senpai smiled, arms folded loosely across his chest, "I'll accept responsibility for my actions so stop yelling already… You're going to scare Chizuru-chan into transferring out of the school."

"I-I'm not going anywhere!" The words were out of her mouth before she realized, and it was too late to take them back once she understood what she had said, "Um, I mean… Uh…"

Okita-senpai had burst into laughter, while Saitou-senpai only sighed softly. Heisuke-kun remained silent, but his eyes looked like they might pop out of their sockets at any moment.

Hijikata-sensei, on the other hand, had turned away from her.

"Souji, your punishment is to go into the Kendo club room before club activities start, and clean up the place for the whole of the month," His glare was so piercing that she thought any other student would probably be intimidated to tears. However, Okita-senpai only continued to smile, patiently waiting for Hijikata-sensei to finish, "And you have to do it_ by yourself._ Don't even think about getting anyone else to help you out."

"I… I want to help Okita-senpai, please," She forced herself to stand a little straighter, keeping her head up and meeting Hijikata-sensei's eyes, "I would like to share that responsibility."

"… You think you're doing the right thing, huh?"

"_Yes._"

Her actions and words seemed to pacify something in the vice-principal, and he sighed – almost like he was resigning to something. Despite that, she thought she saw a glimmer of contentment in his amethyst eyes when he looked at her.

"Fine," He grumbled, narrowing his eyes, "But make sure he does his part and _don't you dare do everything for him._"

She broke into a grin, and readily nodded in agreement.

-LINE-

When the bell signaling the end of school sounded, everyone in the class became fidgety, eager to leave. Unfortunately, it was Itou-sensei's lesson, and he decided that the best time to delegate homework was _right after the bell had sounded_. Chizuru kept glancing at the clock on the wall as she copied down the details of the homework, barely listening to what the teacher was saying; she had agreed to meet Okita-senpai at the Kendo club room 30 minutes after the end of school, and she did not want to be late.

"Alright, you're dismissed!"

That was music to her ears.

After bidding Sen-chan goodbye, she packed her bag and rushed out of class. The moment she stepped outside, she felt someone grab her shoulder, holding her back. After regaining her balance, she spun around to face the person who stopped her.

"Heisuke-kun?" She stared at her childhood friend, "What are you doing here?"

"Here to act as your guide, of course! You'll be meeting Souji in about 25 minutes, so I'm going to make sure that you're not late," He seemed to have gone back to being his cheerful self, but she couldn't help feeling that there was still something odd… His smile had lost some of its brilliance.

"My guide…? I don't think Heisuke-kun is in any position to be my guide where punctuality is concerned…"

"Chizuru, you don't know the way to the Kendo club room, right?"

"A-ah!"

She blushed, and looked down, trying to cover her embarrassment with a cough; Heisuke-kun was right – she had no idea how to get to the Kendo club room. If he didn't look for her, she would probably be _really lost_ right now or having a difficult time trying to get directions from the students who were no doubt in a rush to either get home or to their own club…

It was funny how he always knew when she would need help before she did.


	10. How handy!

"Um, Heisuke-kun?"

"What is it, Chizuru?"

She paused as she steeled her nerves, taking in a deep breath.

"Earlier today, during lunch," She looked at him, hoping to gauge his reaction to her words, "After I went after Saitou-senpai, you seemed unhappy somehow… And when I wanted to help out Okita-senpai, I got that feeling from you too. Um, did I upset you somehow?"

It didn't seem like he was unhappy _with _her, but she could not disregard the fact that he could be unhappy _because_ of her, as egocentric as the thought was.

Heisuke-kun opened his mouth, and she could tell that he was ready to make up some excuse or outright deny her claim; not only was his eyes shifting from her to the ground, but she noticed that his eyelid was twitching the way it did whenever he was trying to come up with a lie. Perhaps he knew that she had seen right through him, but he promptly pressed his lips together after noticing her intense stare. After what seemed like forever – but was in fact no longer than a minute – he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I wasn't _unhappy_, not really," He replied with another sigh, his expression sheepish, "I was just… I guess the best way to describe it is that I was just _surprised_."

"Surprised?"

"Yeah," The smile he flashed was equally sheepish, but it reassured her that he was now telling her the truth, "It's just that you only met Souji and Hajime-kun recently, but you're going out of your way to befriend them…"

"About that…" She pursed her lips, "I can't help wanting to know them better. Today, when Saitou-senpai left the classroom with Okita-senpai, I thought that if I didn't go after him, it feels like I might not see him again."

Her laugh was strained, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was saying.

"That must sound really weird, right?"

"No, not at all," Heisuke-kun's quiet, sincere answer surprised her, especially since she could not detect any sarcasm from his words; she thought that he would tease her about it for sure. When he provided no explanation as to why he would say that, she frowned – only to quickly perk up again, as a new thought occurred to her.

"Oh! Maybe I feel that way because they are Heisuke-kun's friends?" She mused, "If they are Heisuke-kun's precious friends, I would like to get along with them, and to do that, I'll need to know them better."

"Eh? _Precious friends_ sound a little-"

"Heisuke-kun, you're always helping me out," She didn't give him the chance to finish, her smile widening as she glanced fondly at him, "Even now, you're here because you wanted to make things easier for me, right? So, for your sake, I'll get along with the people around you. I'll make a good first impression as Heisuke-kun's best childhood friend!"

His eyes widened before he burst out laughing, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Chizuru, you're really the best!" He said between bouts of laughter, and she couldn't tell if he was being serious or if he was teasing her. After a moment, however, his expression turned solemn. A faint blush graced his cheeks as he grinned, averting his eyes in a manner that made him appear uncharacteristically shy.

"You know, I wasn't lying when I said that I was surprised, but to be very, _very_ honest, I guess I was a little… Um, _envious_ as well."

She nodded slowly to show that she was listening, and to encourage him to continue.

"Well, I didn't want to have that position taken away from me," He admitted, his voice barely above a whisper; his blush had deepened, and he was avoiding eye contact entirely now, "Seeing the way you went after Souji and Hajime-kun made me wonder if maybe you'll get along with them more than you'll get along with me."

Her heart had started to race, and she could feel her own face heating up at how earnest Heisuke-kun sounded; his friendship meant a lot to her, but she never knew that he felt the same way.

"There's nobody like Heisuke-kun," She replied with as much sincerity as Heisuke-kun was showing her, ignoring how forceful she probably sounded, "So please don't think that you can ever be replaced so easily!"

His eyes widened slightly as he mulled over her response. A moment later, he broke into a grin, his cheeks still flushed; he didn't need to say anything for her to know that he was now back to being his usual self. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they continued on their way, simply enjoying each other's company before he suddenly sped up. When he was a few paces ahead, he looked back at her over his shoulder, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Come on, Chizuru! Let's get there _super early_!"

He stretched out his hand towards her, his grin widening. She returned the grin and took his hand, almost stumbling when he playfully tugged her forward, earning a yelp of surprise from her and a bark of laughter from him. As soon as she had regained her balance, however, they raced down the corridor, giggling and laughing gleefully while ignoring the looks curious students were giving them. She wondered how much trouble they would be in if they were found out by the disciplinary committee, but the thought was brief and she was having too much fun to worry; you would only be in trouble if you got caught, after all!

Besides, Heisuke-kun's hand was warm, and his grip was firm and kind.

It reminded her of when they were children, and how he would often hold her hand in order to comfort her; as a child, it made her feel almost invincible. She was a timid child, quick to resort to tears, and he was a bouncing ball of sunshine; when they met in kindergarten for the first time, nobody would ever have predicted that they would become fast friends. Although she was young at the time, she could remember bits and pieces of the first time they met…

* * *

"Father! Father! I want my father!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks, pouring from her eyes like twin waterfalls as she pressed her small body against the door, standing on tiptoes as she reached for the doorknob.

"Father!"

"Come come, Chizuru-chan," Her teacher had carried her away from the door, but the adult's cooing and back pats did little to calm her down. Being carried did reduce her crying to soft sobs, however, and the teacher seemed satisfied with that, "Your father will be back later, alright? Let's play with the other children first."

She nodded, unable to speak through her sobbing, and felt herself being lowered onto a chair. For a few minutes, she simply sat there, staring at the piece of paper on the table in front of her. Tears were pooling in her eyes, but she didn't allow them to fall; she would hate for her father to see her crying, when he does come to pick her up.

"Can I have that?"

Upon hearing the question, she turned to face the boy seated beside her; his right hand was gripping onto a crayon tightly while his left hand was sprawled out over her piece of paper. When he saw the tears glistering in her eyes, he frowned.

"Are you crying?"

Her lower lip trembled; his innocent question had made her think of her father, and she was on the verge of bursting into tears again.

"F-father…" She mumbled, sniffling as she rubbed her tears away with an arm, "Want… Father…"

"Your father will be here soon!" He replied loudly, and had thrust the crayon towards her after a moment's hesitation, "I'll even let you have this super special crayon until he comes back!"

When that didn't stop her tears, he slammed he crayon down on the table, and snatched her hand.

"I'll protect you until he comes back!" He declared, squeezing her hand tightly. When that seemed to get her attention and help with the tears, he grinned, pounding his free hand against his chest with vigor, "So don't cry! I'll protect you!"

* * *

By the time they reached the Kendo club room, both of them were panting heavily. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, but she still found the breath to laugh as her knees gave way and she crumpled to the floor. Heisuke-kun stood beside her as he panted and laughed along, doubling over with his hands on his knees for support. When her breathing went back to being somewhat normal, she glanced up at him.

"Heisuke-kun, remember when we first met?"

"Eh, you mean in kindergarten?"

"Yes! You held onto my hand the whole day, until my father came to take me home."

"That's because you wouldn't stop crying!" He laughed even harder, almost gasping for air as he slicked his sweat drenched bangs back from his forehead. His reply made her heart swell as it proved that he remembered their first meeting as clearly as she did, "I even got my parents to wait for your father for an hour after they came to pick me up… It's been so many years since then, huh?"

His laughter ebbed, and his expression softened as he smiled to himself, a faraway look in his eyes.

"What are you thinking about, Heisuke-kun?"

"Huh? Um… About how amazing it is that we're still friends, I guess?"

"That's a kind of fate, isn't it?"

"Well, you could call it that!" Heisuke-kun laughed, "I mean, someone's gonna be there to make sure you don't get lost all the time, right!"

"Eh?! _Heisuke-kun!_"

* * *

**Author's notes:**

_Wow an update that didn't take 2 weeks!_ :'D I actually had some free time, so here you go!

toshimi-chan - Hehe Kazama will certainly be properly introduced later in the story!

pluechan - Thank you for your kind words! I like how the role of childhood friend seems to really fit Heisuke. XD


	11. Trust fall!

**Author's Notes:**

I think it's been over a month since my last update? I'm so sorry! :'D Since I was trying for about 1 chapter every 1 to 2 weeks, this time I'm uploading 3 chapters at once; they've been finished for a while, but I've just been too distracted to edit and upload them. I've also made up my mind about which ship to sail in this story, so that'll become more and more obvious later on.

Thank you for all the new reviews/favorites/follows thus far! I really appreciate them all!

* * *

"Hey, Chizuru-chan~"

Okita-senpai peered through the Kendo club room's open door with his usual smile. When he spotted Heisuke-kun, he smirked and strolled into the room, one broom in each hand. She found that he looked different, and observed that his hair was partially pulled back into a small ponytail, probably to keep it out of his face while he was cleaning; she imagined that tying his hair back would also be helpful during his kendo practice. The look suited him, and she quietly wondered why he didn't tie his hair back more often.

"I thought I might see you here too, Heisuke," He tilted his head slightly, holding out one of the brooms towards him, "Are you here to help out?"

"Eh… As if I would spend any of my precious time helping _you_! I have better things to do! Anyway, Hijikata-sensei would throw _me_ out a window if he found out," Heisuke-kun replied with narrowed eyes, his arms folded across his chest as he complained loudly, "I'm only helping because of Chizuru, got it?!"

"Got it crystal clear," Okita-senpai laughed, tossing one of the brooms at him without as much as a warning. However, as if he had done it a million times before, Heisuke-kun effortlessly caught the broom before it had the chance to touch the floor.

"Um, Heisuke-kun?" She stared at the broom in his hand before holding onto it, giving a light tug to get him to let go, "Maybe you should just leave this to Okita-senpai and me… I don't want you to get into trouble with Hijikata-sensei."

… Not that she believed what Heisuke-kun said about being tossed out a window.

That would be _illegal_, right? Tossing your student out a window?

"Are you sure, Chizuru?" Heisuke-kun frowned, once again folding his arms across his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut; he looked so annoyed and unsettled that, for a moment, she was afraid that he might insist on having his way. However, when he opened his eyes, he nodded, sighing loudly to show how unwilling he was about complying, "Alright then… But once club activities start, I'll be here! _So don't you dare bully Chizuru!_"

The last sentence was directed at Okita-senpai, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat; she couldn't help but feel that Heisuke-kun's words might have had the _opposite_ result of its intended effect. Looking at that 'I am up to no good' grin of his, Chizuru fretted and pondered if maybe she _should_ have Heisuke-kun stay with her after all…

"It's too late for that, Chizuru-chan."

It was as if he had read her mind, or perhaps it was just that her worry was plainly shown on her face; without her noticing, Okita-senpai had slid up behind her, and currently had his arms wrapped loosely around her shoulders. She squirmed, and instinctively reached for Heisuke-kun for help, only to realize that he was no longer in the room, having left while she was daydreaming. When he understood what she was trying to do, his grin widened, seemingly enjoying her reaction.

"Well then," To her immerse relief, he released his hold and gave her a pat on her head, "Shall we start before you snap that broom in half?"

That's when she realized that, in her nervousness, she had gripped onto the broom handle so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

* * *

She wiped the perspiration off her brow with the back of her hand, and stood back to admire her work; the locker room had undergone a magical transformation. It was in a dreadful mess before – the rubbish bin was so full that rubbish was spilling out and onto the floor, there was dust on every available surface, stains on the lockers from being touched over and over again by sweaty hands, and announcements from _years ago_ still pinned onto the notice board. However, it was now much cleaner and neater thanks to her hard work. She still wasn't sure why she cared enough to go so far for a club she didn't even belong to, but she chalked it up to it being Heisuke-kun's club… And she knew how much kendo meant to her childhood friend.

It was somewhat of a second hand affection.

"Okita-senpai, I'm done!" She was all smiles as she exited the locker room, "Would you like to check-"

He was lying face down on the floor, his broom beside him. She froze, eyes widening as her mind reeled to process what she was seeing.

"O-Okita-senpai!" Her voice came out as a terrified sob as she rushed to his side, kneeling down beside him. She shook him with as much strength as she could muster. With every passing second, her heart went faster and faster, so much so that she felt almost giddy, "Okita-senpai! Okita-senpai!"

When there was no response, she stood up to leave for help, only to feel a strong grip on her wrist, pulling her back down.

"Just kidding, Chizuru-chan~"

His grin said it all; he was only _pretending_ to pass out, and was never in any danger. Relief washed over her, followed by a torrent of other emotions – confusion and sadness, but what stood out the most was _anger_. How could he trick her like that? How could he make her worry as a _joke_? What part of that prank was _funny_ to him?

"_Let go_," She muttered lowly. When he did not comply, she managed to somehow find the strength to pull her hand back. She saw surprise in his eyes, but didn't feel like looking at him a second longer, and had quickly turned away.

"Hey Chizuru-chan, are you angry?"

She chose to ignore his question – wasn't the answer obvious enough? – and silently moved to the back of the room where she had left her bag. She heard the rustle of fabric as Okita-senpai moved, and when she looked up, he was blocking the only exit.

"If you stomp off right now, you'll miss my explanation," He was wearing a smile, but something in the tone of voice he used made her pause – at least he _sounded_ sincere about wanting her to stay.

"An explanation?" She asked, brows furrowing as she crossed her arms, "Not an _apology_?"

"Eh… Even the demon vice-principal couldn't get me to apolo-"

"Please move aside, Okita-senpai," She didn't wait for him to finish before grabbing her bag, and resting the strap on her shoulder.

"… I get it already," He mumbled after a slight pause, looking away with a hurt look on his face; he looked so much like a puppy being scolded that she would feel bad about being harsh if she wasn't still _really angry_ at him. After a momentary silence, he continued in a louder voice, "I'm sorry for tricking you, Chizuru-chan."

With that, she felt some of her anger ebbing to the point where some of her other emotions could come into play – for example, the fear she felt when she thought that he had collapsed.

"I'm not angry that you tricked me. I mean, I would probably still be mad but not like this… The reason why I'm so upset is because Okita-senpai chose to trick me with something that would worry me. I… I really thought that you had passed out… And you wouldn't respond! There's nothing funny about that!"

"You were… Worried?"

"Of course I was worried! Okita-senpai, you were passed out on the floor!"

Silence stretched out between them as Okita-senpai averted his gaze, staring at the wall. Without looking at her, he spoke.

"Hey, Chizuru-chan… Do I look healthy to you?"

"H-huh?" She frowned, thrown off by the seemingly random question. After taking a moment to mull it over, she nodded in reply; although Okita-senpai was lean – almost _thin_ – she had seen the way he moved when confronted by the bread bully, and knew that his body was in good condition.

"That's right," He laughed, smiling down at her, "So there's a lot I can do now that I couldn't do before… And a lot I can afford to want that I couldn't want before."

"What do you mean by that, Okita-senpai?"

"Hm?" He seemed to have been momentarily distracted, and barely caught her question. His smile faltered briefly before he chuckled, "I had asthma when I was a child, and my parents got me started on kendo as a way to build up my body. Thanks to that, I seemed to have grown out of it… I still bring an inhaler around with me wherever I go though, just in case. It's in my bag, first zip on the front – in case you ever need to use it on me."

Although it didn't sound like he was lying, she couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't being completely truthful with his answer, like he was hiding something from her.

"I'm really sorry that I worried you, Chizuru-chan," This apology sounded more sincere than the one he gave before, probably because he was apologizing of his own free will, "I just wanted to find out how you would react if my asthma acted up, and I collapsed. It's not a very cool thing to have, so I didn't want to tell you about it… But if I didn't, you would still be mad at me now, right?"

"… Okita-senpai, you're a _child_," She was scolding him, but was aware of the sheepish smile on her lips and the fondness in her voice, "You could have just _told_ me instead of doing that! I can understand your reason a little better now, but that still does _not_ justify what you did."

"You're being awfully rude to your senpai," He was almost pouting as he complained, "You were so polite with Hajime-kun... It's a bit unfair."

"That's because Okita-senpai is not as polite as Saitou-senpai," She laughed despite herself; the two of them might be the same age, but Saitou-senpai seemed to be a lot more mature, "Please don't do anything that would worry me again. If you're my senpai, act like it!"

"Eh, if you don't see me as your senpai, maybe you should start calling me Souji-kun."

"W-what!"

"You address Heisuke as Heisuke-kun anyway, even though he's one year older."

"That's only because-"

"Come on, call me Souji-kun~"

"N-no way!" Her face felt warm, and she was sure that she was turning red, "Okita-senpai, stop teasing me!"

"Eeeeh, are you really against it that much? That really hurts my feelings…"

She couldn't tell if he was joking or not, and narrowed her eyes at him; he had his arms folded across his torso in an almost defensive stance and instead of a playful smirk, wore a defeated look. Still, even if he was being serious, they weren't on nearly intimate enough terms for her to address him by his first name, especially since he was a year older _and _an upperclassman.

She glanced at the club room door, which was no longer blocked, and briefly considered making a run for it. As if reading her mind, Okita-senpai took a few steps to the side, and leaned against the wall next to the door, as if daring her to try.

Looking at his smiling face, she pressed her lips together before turning her gaze to stare intently at the door, hoping for someone to come into the room.


	12. Senpai noticed me!

As if someone up there had heard her prayers, the door to the club room opened to reveal Saitou-senpai, his expression as unreadable as ever. He regarded her briefly, as if to greet her, before turning to Okita-senpai.

"Souji, for Yukimura to address you by your first name would be inappropriate," He frowned with disapproval, lightly admonishing his friend, "Heisuke is her childhood friend, and is an exception."

He was of course stating the obvious; minutes ago, she had tried to say the same thing, only for Okita-senpai to easily brush it aside. However, there was something about Saitou-senpai's no-nonsense aura that made it impossible for Okita-senpai to do the same with him.

… Wait, if Saitou-senpai knew _what_ she was being teased about, would that mean that he had heard their conversation?! How long had he been standing outside the club room?

"You're too serious as always," Okita-senpai sighed loudly, his shoulders slumping, "The truth is that Hajime-kun would like Chizuru-chan to address him as Hajime-kun too, right?"

"For Yukimura to…" Saitou-senpai continued to frown until he fully comprehended what Okita-senpai was suggesting. Immediately, his frown deepened and she thought that the tip of his ears looked a little redder than usual, "_That is untrue._ As I said, it would be highly inappropriate. Right, Yukimura?"

"Um… Saitou-senpai?"

"What is it?"

"If you don't mind, could you call me Chizuru instead? Yukimura sounds a little _cold_, like how a teacher would address me," She laughed weakly in an attempt to hide her nervousness, "I-if you're not comfortable with that, there's no need to force yourself to do so! It's just that Okita-senpai had been addressing me by my first name, so I thought that it might be nice if Saitou-senpai could do the same."

When she looked at him again, Saitou-senpai was standing very still, his mouth slightly agape and his eyes staring straight at her; she could imagine his soul floating out of his body, like in a cartoon.

"You… _You broke Hajime-kun_," Okita-senpai was laughing so hard that he was gasping for air, and holding the nearby wall for support so that he wouldn't fall over, "Chizuru-chan, please teach me how to do that!"

"T-that's not funny, Okita-senpai!" She huffed, guessing that her face must be as red as a tomato right now. Her eyes on Saitou-senpai, she took a tentative step towards him, "Saitou-senpai? I-if you don't feel comfortable with it-"

"Is that your preference?" Saitou-senpai seemed to have recovered, and if he was still shaken, he did not show it. Although she thought that it was a simple request, Saitou-senpai seemed to have trouble processing it, "I did not think that we were acquainted enough for me to address you by your first name."

What he said was true, but she still could not stop herself from feeling disappointed at his answer; maybe she took it for granted that close friends of Heisuke-kun would also be good friends of hers, but Saitou-senpai's words hurt a little. Perhaps her disappointment and hurt was more obvious that she thought – even without her saying a word, he found the answer to his question.

"Is that so…" He looked to be deep in thought, and the way he mulled it over made it seem like he was contemplating something with far graver consequences. Thinking that, she couldn't help but giggle, causing Saitou-senpai to look at her with his brow knitted together.

"I did not think that this was a joke…"

"Ah! No, that's not it!" She shook her head and grinned sheepishly, "It's just that… Saitou-senpai is taking this so seriously because you're not just thinking of yourself, right? You're probably thinking of what others might think if they hear you addressing me by my first name and if it would inconvenient me in the future. That's also why you asked if it was my preference, as you wanted to consider my feelings… I laughed not because I thought that it was funny, but because I thought it was… Um, _unusual_."

"How so?" He did not acknowledge nor refute her claims, so she wasn't sure if she was just overanalyzing things, but he seemed intrigued, and was – in his own way – demanding an explanation. Even Okita-senpai, who had been laughing hysterically just moments before, had quietened down to listen.

"Um… The way you think and act is highly disciplined," She felt proud for picking what she thought was the perfect word to describe Saitou-senpai with, "Not just disciplined as a member of the disciplinary council, but almost like a soldier? Oh! I know! Saitou-senpai reminds me of one of those samurai from historical shows and anime!"

She clapped her hands together in delight, beaming at Saitou-senpai; she couldn't read his expression, but noticed that he was looking intently at her face.

"Do you really mean that?" He asked, and she wondered why he sounded so eager.

"Yes," She was firm in her reply, and was quite surprised to see it put a subtle smile on Saitou-senpai's lips; did her comment mean that much to him?

"I am happy to hear that," He answered quietly, "Thank you."

"Does that mean-"

"However, I am still uncomfortable with your request…" He averted his eyes for a moment, but when they fell upon her again, she could see how apologetic he was just from his gaze.

"I think that is very much like Saitou-senpai," She smiled, feeling disappointed by his answer yet oddly happy about how honest he was; she probably would feel much worse if he had forced himself to do something he was clearly not fully on board with, "Please don't worry about it! Like I said, if you're uncomfortable with it, there is no need to force yourself."

"Yukimura…" He seemed to relax a little, looking almost relieved. They then lapsed into a comfortable silence… That was, until Okita-senpai placed an arm around her shoulder. She sagged under the weight of his arm, and fretted at how close he was; she could feel his body heat against her skin and his breath on her ear.

"The two of you didn't forget that I was still here, right?" Okita-senpai was grinning, but instead of his usual teasing tone, he sounded annoyed.

Saitou-senpai sighed, and promptly moved to grab Okita-senpai by his wrist, lifting his arm up from her shoulder. The gesture earned a soft 'thank you' from her as she ducked out of the way and scooted behind Saitou-senpai, grateful for his presence; if she had attempted to remove Okita-senpai's hand, it would probably only make him more determined to cling onto her.

… A little like an overgrown, needy cat.

"If you hide behind Hajime-kun like that, it gives the impression that you dislike me," He had that hurt look on his face again, and she still couldn't tell if it was just another way for him to tease her; it was really hard to tell with Okita-senpai, since he seemed to enjoy getting a rise out of her. When she did not let down her defenses, he sighed, lightly rubbing the back of his neck with a soft chuckle, "You sure know how to hit me where it hurts the most."

"Like I said, Okita-senpai should start acting like a senpai if you would like to be treated as one," She muttered in response, peering up at him from behind Saitou-senpai with a frown, "And… It's not like I dislike you or anything like that."

She just could not approve of his behavior.

Okita-senpai smirked at her words and was about to reply when someone slammed the club room door open, effectively interrupting him.

"Chizuru! I came back as fast as I could! Did Souji-" Heisuke-kun paused at the doorway, his eyes darting from Okita-senpai, to Saitou-senpai, and then to her, who was hiding behind the latter. She could see the gears turning in his head as he dropped his bag on the floor and pointed at Okita-senpai, "AHHH SOUJI! YOU DID SOMETHING AFTER ALL! I knew I shouldn't have left!"

"Eh… So what if I did something to your precious Chizuru-chan?"

Okita-senpai's lips were curled up in a wide grin, and she frowned, realizing that he was egging Heisuke-kun on; she knew how hot-headed her childhood friend could be, and Okita-senpai seemed to have a knack for getting under his skin. Already, she could see that Heisuke-kun was busy peeling away the cloth he used to wrap his shinai – the bamboo sword used for practice and sparring in kendo. Okita-senpai's grin only widened when he observed what Heisuke-kun was doing, and moved to grab his own shinai from where it was resting against the wall.

"Wait!" She took a step towards Heisuke-kun, intending to stop him from doing anything reckless; she wouldn't say that he was the type of person to solve his problems with violence, but Okita-senpai was clearly itching for a fight, and Heisuke-kun was quickly being suckered into it. However, no sooner had she taken that first step did she feel a hand on her shoulder, gently holding her back. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Saitou-senpai shaking his head.

"Just watch," He said calmly, eyes on the two students.

"But they're not wearing their protective gear-"

Perhaps he sensed the unease in her voice and wished to provide some form of assurance, but the edges of his lips twitched up into a small smile.

"… Trust me."

She remained tensed for a few seconds, looking between Saitou-senpai and Heisuke-kun. Then, she finally relaxed and begrudgingly nodded.


	13. Bromance

"I'm going to whack an apology out of you!"

Heisuke-kun made the first move by sprinting forward, but Okita-senpai seemed to already have predicted his move, and easily stepped aside. With a grin, he then swung his shinai in a downward arc towards Heisuke-kun, only to find his attack blocked. However, rather than frustration, she saw delight in his green eyes, as if he was enjoying the challenge. Heisuke-kun, who looked pretty angry before, was also grinning; it was as if he was enjoying one of his favorite video games rather than... Well, rather than risking serious injury by sparring without his protective gear on.

She watched with bated breath, trying her best not to jump in whenever things got too intense for her liking. Throughout the spar, she kept looking at Saitou-senpai out of the corner of her eyes, only to see nothing but tranquility reflected on his face. Once, he caught her looking his way, and offered her another smile.

While a part of her still disapproved of what Heisuke-kun and Okita-senpai were doing, she allowed herself to be reassured by Saitou-senpai's gesture.

The more she watched, the more she saw how much fun the pair of them was having. She begun to understand – at least, a little – why Saitou-senpai would allow the spar to happen; while she could get them to talk civilly, both Heisuke-kun and Okita-senpai conveyed their feelings to each other best through their actions; in this case, through a spar.

"Is Heisuke-kun just… Dodging?" She muttered to herself with a frown; although it looked like they were evenly match, having been an observer long enough, she realized that Okita-senpai was moving faster than Heisuke-kun. In fact, the one carrying out most of the attacks – usually quick thrusts that were dished out in sets of three – was Okita-senpai. Heisuke-kun spent most of his time parrying and getting out of harm's way.

"Souji specializes in delivering fast attacks in quick succession," Saitou-senpai spoke quietly, his eyes leaving the match momentarily to look at her; she could sense surprise in his words, and his next sentence explained why, "Most people would not have picked that up. Do you watch Kendo matches often because of Heisuke?"

She shook her head and blushed – not because she took his words as a compliment, but because she was too ashamed to admit that the only reason she picked up on that observation was because she had a couple of dreams in which those two were sparring. However, rather than a modern room like the one they were currently in, the room in her dream was a lot more old fashioned, like a dojo right out of a period drama; tatami mats lined the floor and light filtered in through the sliding doors, illuminating the dust particles in the air…

"Oof!" Heisuke-kun got the air knocked out of his lungs as Okita-senpai finally landed a successful hit on his stomach, sending the shorter boy crashing to the ground.

"Heisuke-kun!" She gasped, and immediately ran to his side, kneeling down beside him. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he panted, trying to catch his breath. When he noticed her presence, he cracked open an eye to look at her and grinned sheepishly – a smile she took to mean that he was either embarrassed for losing the match or that he was sorry for worrying her.

With the assurance that he was mostly fine, she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Do you know how worried I was!" She exclaimed as she gave him a shove, only to get a loud groan in response. Immediately, she froze, realizing that her friend's face was twisted in pain.

"C-Chizuru, could you be… _Gentler_ please…" He managed a weak laugh, only to wince again.

"I'm so sorry!" She shrieked before grabbing onto his blouse and attempted to undo the buttons, "Let me see the injury!"

"Hey! W-wait! C-Chizuru!"

"No waiting! If it's that painful, you could have fractured something. It's important for you to stop moving right now, just in case!"

"But-"

"No buts!"

"BUT-"

She was halfway through unbuttoning his shirt, and was not about to let him have his way. He was resisting, but his injuries seemed to be painful enough to restrict his movements – which meant that she was actually winning this battle.

"_Just take your shirt off already!"_

Feeling a little frustrated, she practically yelled at him… Before it suddenly dawned on her that the room was eerily silent. Looking up, the first person she saw was Okita-senpai – mostly because he was standing right in front of her, a devilish smile playing on his lips as he took a number of _very compromising _photographs using his phone. Behind him, she could see Saitou-senpai with a hand over his face as he gently massaged his temples.

Beside Saitou-senpai, the clubroom door was open. At the doorway stood both Harada-sensei and Hijikata-sensei; the former looked like he was trying his best not to laugh while the latter looked like he was ready to serve a few years in prison _for the crime of tossing his students out a window_. Judging by their reactions as well as how terrible her luck had been since her first day of school, the teachers probably walked in just as she yelled at Heisuke-kun to take his shirt off.

"I-I-I can explain!" She stuttered, quickly standing up and pushing Okita-senpai's phone away, "It's not what-"

Harada-sensei had made his way over to her, and managed to silence her by putting a hand on her head. The smile he gave was gentle and reassuring, and Chizuru found herself quickly calming down.

"Of course we know that it's not what it looks like," Hijikata-sensei was a lot less kind about it as he scowled, "I'm angry because _those two_ got into a fight – _and don't tell me that it wasn't considered as one_."

His scowl deepened as he looked down at Heisuke-kun, who was still sprawled out on the floor. She followed the teacher's gaze, and her eyes widened when she saw part of the ugly bruise that had developed on Heisuke-kun's chest peeking through where she had managed to unbutton his shirt. She pressed her lips together into a thin line, and looked down at the floor; she should have tried harder to stop them…

"Hijikata-sensei, please pardon me for interrupting," Saitou-senpai's voice cut through her thoughts, and she instinctively looked to him, "But I was here to witness this incident, and can assure you that it was not a fight – merely a sparring match."

"Saitou, if this was a sparring match, why weren't they wearing any protective gear?" His amethyst eyes narrowed as he folded his arms across his chest, "I expected more from you, of all people."

"… My deepest apologies," Saitou-senpai replied, briefly bowing his head.

"I believe that Saitou would not have let it happen if it really was a fight, Hijikata-san," Harada-sensei had been quietly watching all this time, but probably thought it fitting to give his opinion right now.

Hijikata-sensei paused as he considered Harada-sensei's words. Then, he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I cannot let this incident slide, especially considering your positions as captain and vice-captain of the Kendo club," He looked first at Saitou-senpai, and then at Okita-senpai. The anger in his voice had subsided significantly, but she could tell that he was still fairly pissed off, "Even if it was not a fight, you still _broke club rules_ by sparring without protective gear on. Heisuke is suspended from club practice for a week. I can't have both the captain and vice-captain suspended at the same time, so for now, Souji and Saitou are on cleaning duty _indefinitely_."

"Eh!" Heisuke-kun's eyes widened, "That's not fair! Why do I have to-"

"Because you're _injured_ that's why," Hijikata-sensei glowered at him, "Or have you forgotten?"

"What, this is nothing! It's only a flesh wound- _ARGH!_" He yelped in pain and inhaled sharply before turning to glare at Okita-senpai, "Oi Souji! Get your foot off my chest already!"

"Didn't you say that it was only a flesh wound?" The offender grinned innocently as he used his foot to put a little pressure on Heisuke-kun's chest, causing him to writhe with pain.

"Alright, alright! I get it, so take your foot off already!"

Satisfied, Okita-senpai removed his foot from Heisuke-kun's chest. As fast as he could, Heisuke-kun pushed himself off the floor, to a sitting position. When she realized that he was trying to stand up, she quickly moved to his side, putting his arm over her shoulder to help him up. On Heisuke-kun's other side, she saw that Saitou-senpai had done the same.

"You guys are making a fuss out of nothing…" Heisuke-kun muttered under his breath, his eyes darting from Saitou-senpai to herself. He looked like he was about to complain more when he caught Okita-senpai grinning at him with obviously _malicious intent_, successfully shutting him up.

While she did not like how Okita-senpai handled the situation, she had to admit that it was really effective on Heisuke-kun… And it was like their little spat had never happened.

* * *

"Chizuru, you can go home first, you know…" Heisuke-kun frowned, rubbing his chest lightly, "I don't need a babysitter."

"I refuse," She replied, her finger hovering near where she knew Heisuke-kun's bruise hurt the most.

"… You can be really stubborn when you want to be," He eyed the finger warily before pushing it away gently, "I get it already… Let's go home _together_ after this."

She smiled, probably looking a little smug. Then, she turned her attention to the door, where students had been steadily trickling in. Some of them bowed their heads at Heisuke-kun when they saw him, and she figured that those must be first years, just like her. As the time to start club activities drew closer, she noticed that while a majority of the club members were male, there were also a fair number of females. Unlike the boys, however, they came in already dressed in their Kendo uniform – a navy blue keikogi top and matching hakama bottom; it must be because there was only a locker room for boys, and not one for girls in the club room.

Having girls in the club might explain why none of the members were surprised to see her in the room; they probably thought that she was a potential member, here to observe practice. The truth, however, was that she was here to rein Heisuke-kun in by Saitou-senpai's orders, since he had insisted on staying. Hijikata-sensei and Harada-sensei – she was later informed that they were the two teachers in charge of the Kendo club – didn't seem to mind, as long as Heisuke-kun didn't do more than just _observing_.

"Oh, but why did you want to stay if you can't participate in practice?"

"Ah, about that… I've been placed in charge of overseeing the training of some first years. Even if I can't _practice_, Hijikata-sensei didn't say that I can't take part in other things! Somebody has to make sure that the newbies don't slack off!"

He grinned, and she saw the pride he had in that responsibility. However…

"Ehhhh, Heisuke-kun is skilled enough to take care of newcomers?"

"W-what! Chizuru, is that how you've always seen me?"

"Sorry, Heisuke-kun…"

"Augh, when you apologize, it makes me feel _worse_. And why are you looking away!" He groaned, pointing an accusing finger at her, "Anyway, you're not sincere at all! Take that sorry back! I don't want it!"

Instead of replying, she silently grabbed hold of his finger with one hand. Ignoring the look of surprise and confusion on his face, she then lightly placed a finger on his chest with a smile.

"... I'm sorry, Chizuru. I take it all back."


End file.
